Bloodline
by nancy fan
Summary: Nancy finds it more difficult than expected to relive the events of the file, White Water Terror. Part 1 of 3


**Bloodline is a three part story, based on this challenge over at livejournal:**

**Nancy/Ned, Bess, George - A movie director contacts Nancy to get the rights on her experiences on the white water trip (ND Files 6), and once filming gets underway, he invites the group out to serve as advisors. Nancy, who thought she was over it, finds that reliving it isn't as easy as she thought.**

**Enjoy!  
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**The clock ticked menacingly from it's dust strewn perch on the wall, each second it counted off, bringing her a second closer to him. He had been gone for over an hour and Nancy's heart was already pounding in fearful anticipation, sweat beading on her forehead as she struggled to breathe. The last time he had left, the smell of whiskey sweet on his breath, he hadn't stayed away for even an hour and Nancy knew. She knew he'd be back with a sneering smile and cruel, threatening words and the thought made her physically sick.

For the first few hours she had screamed, roared, wailed until her voice had rasped in protest, blood streaming down her arms as the rough, nylon rope cut welts into her already bruised and bloodied wrists. Then came the threats, fearless, menacing threats, explaining to him in no uncertain terms exactly who she was, who her father was and swearing that she would be found, that he would be found and when he was, he would be left to rot in jail. If he was lucky. He had merely laughed, a hollow, joyless sound that grated on her ears, infuriating her even further until she finally conceded defeat, left to resort to cheap pitying tactics. Lip quivering, eyes brimming with tears, she had begged for him to release her, would have sworn anything, would have promised the moon if only he would let her go.

It had been dark when, head pounding, stomach churning she had finally emerged from unconsciousness, the night ablaze with stars. But now it was bright; the sky outside a miserable gray and the clouds verging on a stormy black. Through the creaking walls she could hear the thunderous patter of rain, the heavy drops spitting into the puddles and their rhythm reverberated in her head making her feel dizzy and sick.

_They should never have come here._

Initially it had been flattering to have been personally contacted by Maxwell Philips, a well renowned film director, Nancy and her friends easily swayed by promises of luxurious hotel rooms and a chance to hang out with famous movie stars. However, as the trip drew closer, Nancy grew more and more uncertain. The case had been harrowing, Nancy lucky to escape with her life and Paula's pale amber eyes still an unwelcome intruder in her dreams. This time she might not be so lucky.

The cabin was filthy, the dust lingering in the air appearing to be almost dancing in the light. Faded grey curtains hung on the windows, the glass grimy with dirt and a piece of patterned linoleum was stretched across the floor, the edges curling miserably at the corners. The smell of him lingered in the room and on her skin, the coarse graze of his stubble against her cheek still painfully fresh in her mind.

_God, he's going to come back. He's going to come back and he's going to kill me._

Hit by that realization, she was overwhelmed by a sudden blinding panic and she struggled furiously with her binds, screaming and lashing out wildly in her desperation to escape. Nancy had never before known fear to be so real, so tangiable but the mere thought of him, of what he could do to her was almost suffocating. She strained against the binds again, her body rigid, the rope slicing into her wrists like a knife, when she heard his cheerless whistle, the key sliding into the heavy lock.

"I'm back," he chimed tauntingly, his hands suddenly tight around her throat, his eyes menacing as he dragged her off the floor and slammed her roughly against the wall.

**24 hours earlier**

Her hair almost white from a summer spent lounging by the pool, Bess took a delicate sip from her champagne, her coral-pink lips leaving a perfect imprint on the glass. "This is the life," she sighed happily, her outstretched arm eagerly accepting a top-up from a fire-engine red uniformed air hostess, her stiletto heels clicking authoratively as she tottered up the aisle. "I can't believe they sprung for first class tickets."

"I know," Nancy enthused, as she plucked a chocolate covered strawberry from a bowl in front of her, placing it temptingly to Ned's lips before pulling back and popping it into her mouth.

"Hey, no fair," Ned grumbled good-naturedly before leaning in, his lips meeting hers for a kiss. "This is going to be the best vacation ever," he declared after a pause, his lips warm on hers.

Her yellow sun-dress almost luminous against her golden tanned skin, Nancy returned his advances eagerly, the ends of the ribbon in her hair trailing loosely down her back. "I know," she whispered, relishing in the sweetness of his kiss. "No parents and no cases. I don't know what we'll do with all that free time," she murmured teasingly, Ned's eyes practically lighing up in anticipation.

Ned was spending his summer vacation at home in Mapleton and Nancy and Ned were finding the restraints their parents were imposing on their relationship, challenging at best. Carson insisted on seperate beds and Edith and James followed happily in his lead, determined in their misguided quest to maintain their children's virtue. The sneaking around was exhausting; a passionate exchange often cut short by someone arriving unexpectedly home, clothes hastily thrown on and hair neatly smoothed before greeting their parent with a carefully composed smile, the television blaring convincingly in the backround.

"Did you pack that cute white bikini, that I love so much?" he whispered, resting his hand on her thigh, taking advantage of the expanse of smooth, tanned skin that the short dress displayed.

"Who says I haven't got it on under this?" she returned teasingly, laughing as Ned grabbed her jokingly, his lips pressed to her as he jokingly started tugging at her clothes.

"You guys, stop," Bess hissed, darting an indignant look at the couple. "There are children on this plane."

With an exasperated sigh, Bess settled back into the plush leather seats that the luxury of first class afforded, the table in front of her littered with glossy fashion magazines.

"She's right, you know," George chimed in with a grin, carefully folding down the corner of the page she was reading and shoving the book into her already bulging backpack. "You two are totally giving me a visual that makes me a little uncomfortable considering we may be sharing adjoining tents," she finished, throwing a sly wink in Nancy's direction.

"Wait a minute," Bess cut in, holding her hands up dramatically. "Nancy, you told me, no actually, you swore to me that we would most definitely not be camping this time. To me a vacation is not a vacation if one of the requirements is a torch. How the hell am I going to wash my hair?" she suddenly realized, horror in her eyes at the thought of having to compromise her beauty routine.

"Bess, we're joking," Nancy reassured her friend, rolling her blue eyes in amusement. "They are filming in a completely different section of the woods, much closer to town. Apparently, the original location posed logistical problems, getting the equipment in, catering issues, that sort of thing," Nancy shrugged vaguely before smiling reassuringly at her friend. "Anyway, I doubt Kirsten Bell would be happy sleeping under some sweaty tent,"

"Kirsten Bell, really? Is she playing me in the film?" Bess demanded, her eyes shining with excitement. "Did they say anything?"

"I didn't ask," Nancy replied absently, taking a long sip of champagne, the bubbles rendering her marvelously lightheaded. "Does it matter?"

"Are you kidding me, of course it matters," Bess shot back indignanty, running her fingers lazily through her golden curls. "I wonder if it's that blonde girl from The Valley? But she's so skinny, it would never work," she fretted, flicking noisily through a glossy magazine. "George, you know who would be perfect to play you?" When she didn't get a response, Bess carried on regardless, her excited chatter filling the air. "That new girl in The OC, you know the one who is dating Seth."

"Bess I am going to kill you," George exclaimed impatiently, slamming her book down irritably on the table in front of her. "We have another hour left on the flight and if you care for me at all, you will end this converstaion now."

A glance at Ned confirmed he was thinking something pretty similar. His head burrowed in the in-flight magazine, he had developed a sudden, remarkable interest in the delights of southern Italy.

Gazing thoughtfully at her boyfriend, Nancy couldn't help but smile. As passionate as he was thoughtful, Ned was the perfect guy for her. High school sweethearts, they had a lot of shared history; memories of their first dates, first kisses and first declarations of love still etched wonderously on her brain. Unable to resist, Nancy reached out and touched his cheek softly.

"I love you," she mouthed to him, her hand warm against his skin.

He didn't reply, his didn't have to, his lips meeting hers in a deliciously tender kiss.

--

Nancy could hardly breathe it was so hot, the sun blazing down from an impossibly blue sky and despite the valiant efforts of the sprinkler, the stubby lengths of grass were scorched to varying shades of burnt yellow and brown. Located down a long winding driveway, the hotel was a quaint, creaking building, the rambling gardens crisscrossed with paths that led into the woods, the green-topped expance stretching for miles into the distance.

"That was amazing," Nancy murmured appreciatively, as they stepped out of the hotel lobby into the startling brightness. Her damp hair falling in a single braid down her back, Nancy closed her hand tightly over Ned's as she dragged him down a twisting path and into the glorious shade the heavy canopy of trees covered. "Just think that in a few weeks, I'll be in Emerson with you and it will be like this all the time,"

"You'll never get to class," Ned declared jokingly, pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. "Not if I have anything to do with it, anyway," he promised with a mischievous wink setting her down on the ground again and swatting her playfully.

"See, my dad was right, you are a bad influence," she joked, backing away from her boyfriend and screaming delightedly as he chased her, catching her in his arms and tickling her unmercifully.

"You're dad really said that?" he asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "I always thought he liked me."

"He does," she agreed with a teasing smile. "But that's just because he doesn't know your plans to lock me in your room yet. It's going to be so great, though," she mused happily as Ned helped her step carefully over a twisted tree trunk that lay across their path. "We can cook together, do laundry together, study together. It's going to be brilliant."

"Not that I want to find a hole in your logic, or anything, Nan," Ned laughed, pulling her into her arms and kissing her softly," "But I don't think we would get much studying done if we were together, do you?" At the amused expression on Nancy's face, he continued, his lips pressed against her skin, trailing kisses down her neck. "Because just being here with you now, seeing you in that dress, all I want to do is grab you and carry you back to our room."

"Who said we have to go back to the room?" Nancy smiled coyly, laughing as Ned dragged her onto the ground beside him, the sunshine slicing through the trees casting everything around them in a wonderous golden hue.


End file.
